Jason Burgos
The Dallas Cowboys were reportedly interested in defensive back DaRon Bland early in the 2022 NFL Draft scouting process but tried to keep that fact secret from others around the league.
If there were any doubters left about the potential of former fifth-round pick DaRon Bland after he reeled in five interceptions in his rookie season, he has quieted all of them with his historic performance in his sophomore year with the Dallas Cowboys.
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Posting five interceptions in 17 games often is the type of statistic that could earn a player serious consideration for the Pro Bowl; in his second season, however, Bland has shockingly topped that and then more than halfway through his 2023 campaign. After 11 games, the 24-year-old already has seven interceptions and set a new NFL record with five pick-six INTs in a single season.
Due to his outstanding start to the year, many have praised Dallas for landing one of the biggest steals of the 2022 NFL Draft. A new report claims the team was wise to how good Bland could be from the start of scouting players for last year’s draft and did not want other teams to know.
Dallas Cowboys stat (2023): 8-3
On Sunday morning, NFL Media league insider Ian Rapoport revealed how the Dallas Cowboys tried to keep their fascination with Bland a well-kept secret early last year.
- DaRon Bland stats (2023): 7 interceptions, 5 touchdowns, 48 tackles, 12 passes defended
“This is a crazy story. [Bland’s] a fifth-round pick, and really, nobody was on him. Ross Wuensche, the Cowboys area scout was on him and wanted to keep it quiet. Josh Arnold, Daron Bland’s agent was telling the Cowboys, ‘I got a guy. Bring him in.’ They were like, ‘We know.’ They didn’t want anyone to know. Eventually, they brought him into his visit late. He had so much interest late that he couldn’t do all his visits. That’s how late people were on him. The Cowboys surely have a big-time find in Bland.”
– Ian Rapoport
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This season, Bland will likely earn the Pro Bowl honors that he didn’t get last year. The Dallas Cowboys are paying the Fresno State standout just under $900,000 in 2023.
